jbigs

Again it's off-topic but if you must know I already spent the money on the Brake Assist kit, which is why I don't have another $500 to put into it. I may have to cut my losses and donate the car.

jbigs

Again it's off-topic but if you must know I already spent the money on the Brake Assist kit, which is why I don't have another $500 to put into it. I may have to cut my losses and donate the car.

dave1123

For less than $50 you can fabricate a couple of heavy angle iron brackets with a saw-zall and a drill press, bolt them to the frame rails, and attach your towbar. It won't be pretty, but will be safer.

Answer to your original question is NO, it wouldn't be safe. End of story.

jbigs

Are you saying a shop can do this for less than $50? Because buying a drill press and a saw-zall will cost more than $50. What kind of shop would you go to? Do you think there is a way to fabricate it so that it fits under the stock bumper?

Password12345678

To me, it sounds like you need to throw in the towel on this project if you can't do it properly with your budget. You can get away with doing things "the cheap way" a lot - I've done it more than once. But towing a vehicle is definitely not one of those things to cheap out on. You shouldn't cheap out at all in my opinion. If you screw this up, you'll probably end up hurting someone. And paying their medical bills is going to cost a lot more than setting this up the proper way.

If I were you, I'd befriend someone that has the tools to do this. Ask if they can help you and bring them a case of their favorite beer as a thank-you. A lot of Jeep guys - even off-road guys in general - are friendly and would be happy to lend a hand.

TrailerTrash

Not trying to cut you down about it at all but you really should have done alot more research before spending any money

doublechaz

I have significant tools, decent skills, and a soft heart, but I can also detect being taken advantage of. I have half a plan to build a real front bar with hitch receiver so I can mount a small winch at either end. But not any time soon, and it would be the first time, so I'll have to copy my rear receiver mount to make sure I get it right.

awg

I would listen to this guy...but I cant see where you have nominated your tow vehicle?..I would consult further on this forum or with a towing expert

I have a mate with over 50 years of professional towing and vehicle recovery experience, he tells me many horror stories of accidents caused by inexperience or improper towing procedure

Personally had 2 scary experiences towing heavy loads !

doublechaz

I knew a girl who was towing her car behind a moving box truck. Somewhere in the mountains she says to the guy next to her, "Hey, we're getting passed by a car just like mine." When it got past them enough to read the plate, turns out it *was* hers. It went off a cliff right after that. Luckily no one was hurt. How would that have played out if it hit someone head on?

Every time I think I know what I'm doing with towing and lifting I watch a few videos on youtube where people tip cranes over, flip vehicles upside down, drop boats, etc. It helps me remember that the stakes are high.

For some things do not take shortcuts, do not cheap out, do not even get distracted.

dave1123

I'm beginning to think this guy is trolling us. He seems to have spent all his money on expensive stuff before doing any research at all. Now he wants to cheap out on the most important part of the tow rig, attaching the tow bar securely.

Even factory tow hooks are not designed for long distance towing, only vehicle retrieval out of ditches or hazardous locations. Even then, if not done properly, they can rip out. Do it right or don't do it at all! Your life or someone elses hangs in the balance.

lawsoncl

A fabrication shop might charge you as much as buying a bolt-on base plate. Not trying to be rude, but I don't recommend trying to fab this yourself since you had difficulty understanding why the picture you posted above would not be structurally sound.

Your post over at https://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=246703750 seems to be getting similar feedback.